Brickley Wealth Management

09/17/2026

Pre-IPO equity: one window, three phases.
Before the IPO: ISO exercise and AMT modeling, and gifting at today's valuation.

Lockup, 90 to 180 days: covering the gap between tax withheld and tax owed, and building a sell plan.

After lockup: diversifying the position and sequencing sales to manage the tax bill.

09/15/2026

A lot of firms now describe wealth management the same way: one team, one relationship, everything under one roof. It is worth understanding the structure beneath that language. Many large firms grew by acquiring independent practices, which means the relationship you begin with can change hands whenever the firm decides to sell — usually without the client’s input. The question worth asking before you choose an advisor: what happens to this relationship if the firm is sold?


https://loom.ly/J9FLNtw

Many firms say ‘one team, one relationship.’ Fewer explain what happens when the firm is sold. Here’s the structural question worth asking before you choose who manages your financial life.

09/10/2026

There's a moment after a liquidity event when a single financial advisor starts to feel insufficient, and the phrase "family office" enters the conversation. It's worth pausing on what that phrase actually means before starting the search. Link in comments

09/07/2026

In 9 years, only 42% of single stocks saw gains. U.S. stocks, 2011 to 2020, while the market rose 13.9% a year.
42% gained. 36% lost. 22% delisted or acquired.

Source: Morningstar, 2011 to 2020.

09/01/2026

Hypothetical example: Sarah gifts $5 million in growth-oriented investments to an irrevocable trust for her children. Those assets grow at 7% annually. In 15 years, they're worth approximately $13.8 million. If she had kept them in her estate, that $13.8 million would be included in her taxable estate at death. By gifting now, only the original $5 million counts against her lifetime exemption. The $8.8 million in growth transfers tax-free.

08/25/2026

What a Dollar of Gain Really Costs: High-earner marginal rate on long-term gains in California.

08/20/2026

A Monte Carlo Simulation is a statistical technique used in financial planning to model the probability of different outcomes in an investment portfolio by running multiple simulations based on random variables.

08/17/2026

$30M - The federal estate and gift tax exemption for married couples under the 2026 rules, now permanent with no sunset.

08/13/2026

Dollar Cost Averaging: Investing a fixed amount at regular intervals, regardless of market conditions. Can reduce the impact of market fluctuations.

08/10/2026

High earners generally pay 110% of last year's tax through estimates, not 100%, to avoid a penalty.